1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to the field of baking accessories, and more particularly to a cookie baking sheet with a cookie slide-off ramp.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The most popular type of non-stick pans have a uniform or continuous substantially vertical wall that extends about the entire peripheries of the pans. These are available as a deep loaf, a shallow jellyroll pan (when a shallow sheet has four sides it is called a jellyroll pan) and intermediate round pans. Non-stick is popular because it is low-cost and easy to use and clean. The coating is either silicone-based or PTFE-based, and is applied to carbon steel or aluminized steel. All of these shapes have a rolled edge. A rolled edge can only be applied to metal that lies in the same plane, therefore a plane could be placed along the top of all of the pieces above and it would touch the entire rolled edge. Non-stick bakeware needs less greasing than uncoated bakeware, a selling point to the consumer. The disadvantages of non-stick are that unless it is of the PTFE type, it will degrade in the dishwasher, and all types of non-stick will scar when they are exposed to sharp objects such as a cutting knife.
The rolled edge gives several advantages:
1. A non-stick coating is less likely to chip away because the sides are rounded.
2. The rolled edge is easier to hold and clean.
3. The rolled edge provides a point at which the pan can be hung during the time the non-stick is sprayed on manufacturing.
Other bakeware is known. Professional bakers prefer to cook on raw aluminum pans. The aluminum transfers heat well and is very durable. However, aluminum pans must always be greased well. It is not necessary to roll the edge because these pans are not coated and professionals are not concerned about the raw edge.
Fancy stainless steel bakeware has been sold mainly on the basis of its lustrous appearance. This bakeware will uphold a better finish than raw aluminum, but it does not transfer heat as well (which is important so that one can cook evenly) and it also needs to be well greased.
Tinned steel bakeware is usually the least expensive type of bakeware available, but it is also the least durable.
All of these types of bakeware without non-stick coatings need lengthy cleanups after use.
The standard four-sided, non-stick type of jellyroll pan on the market has four sides. Therefore, to remove the cookies one must lift them off the sheet rather than slide them over the edge. This can break or otherwise damage the cookies while they are still hot and soft.
Also known is a non-stick insulated cookie sheet. The advantage of an insulated sheet is that it heats more gently, and thus the cookies cook before they brown on the bottom. When insulated cookie sheets were first introduced, they tended to be made of aluminum or of tinned steel and so had longer cooking times. Now with dark-colored non-stick insulated sheets, the darker color makes the cooking time closer to normal.
Insulated sheets are typically not dishwasher safe due to the possibility that water may seep in and collect between the sheets. One example of an insulated cookie sheet includes two formed sheets of metal that have been crimped together. Because the edges have a continuous crimp around the perimeter, there can be a folded side only on one or two edges. This is because a fold in sheet metal manufacture can only occur in a straight line.
In some instances an insulated sheet is provided with two folded sides. In this case, there is still a possibility that cookies might slide off the wrong edge. Another insulated cookie sheet, with a fold on two sides, plus a third side with a raw edge has the advantage that here the cookies can be slid off one side only. The drawback, however, is that the third side has sharp edges and may be difficult to clean at the corners. This may be a reason why manufacturers do not use a non-stick coating on this item.
In order to overcome the disadvantages inherent in prior art cookie baking sheets, the present invention comprises a sheet of substantially flat, heat-resistant material forming a baking surface in a first plane and defining a rolled peripheral edge and a baking area within said peripheral edge. A generally upright wall is integrally formed with said sheet material and extends along only a first portion of said periphery and defines an upper edge contained within a second plane that is inclined relative to said first plane to provide said upright wall with a variable vertical height relative to said first plane from a maximum predetermined height to a minimum predetermined height relative to said first plane. In this manner, said variable height wall substantially encloses said baking area along said first portion of said peripheral edge, and baked cookies can only be slid off or pushed off into a receptacle without lifting the cookies along said second peripheral portion, which serves as a slide off chute or ramp.
This baking sheet allows the baking contents to be slid or pushed from the cooking surface, over the edge of the sheet. The edge, being a rolled edge or otherwise that is continuous around the entire sheet, utilizes an integrated, formed exit ramp. This sheet, of one-piece construction, can uniquely have three sides and a fourth side that serves as the exit ramp. Additionally, because the sheet has a rolled edge, it can be coated with a non-stick coating. The coating assists the sliding or pushing of the contents (if the same coating was applied to a sheet without a rolled edge, it may chip or crack at the edges).